Bridging the Gap
by A. Zap
Summary: There are many gaps in the world. Gaps in a story, gaps in a relationship, gaps in the mind. There come times when you have to figure out what goes on in between. A series of one shots taking place during Weirdmaggedon. Contains: The Final Con, The Shot, The Man in the Woods, The Broken Family, and The Scrapbook
1. Chapter 1 - The Final Con

**Disclaimer: I only own Gravity Falls and its characters in my dreams. Though in that case, I'm not owning them, I'm just interacting with them.**

* * *

Bridging the Gap

The Final Con

 _We're in quite a pickle this time_ , Stan couldn't help but think. Sure, he'd been in his fair share of scrapes before, from prison all the way to trying to fix an interdimensional portal, but he had never felt as cornered as he did now.

Nothing could be as bad as hearing the scrambling noises of destruction as Mabel and Dipper attempted to outrun that demonic triangle.

Stan scowled and slammed his hand against the bars, ignoring the way Ford started and stared at him. He took a step back and began to pace. He hated just waiting around and doing nothing, he always had. He was a doer, not a waiter nor a planner like Ford. He had to actually do something or he'd go crazy.

And they really needed a better plan at the moment than Ford's idea of just giving up.

He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking over the situation.

Bill Cipher was a cocky, son-of-a-gun that seemed to be holding all of the cards. The only thing he didn't have was the code or formula or whatever that was in Ford's brain. They couldn't try the circle thingy again as most of their friends were now decorative banners. They did have this memory gun that could erase the demonic Dorito from existence, but it wouldn't work on Ford because he'd put a metal plate in his head to specifically ward off Bill. Now if they could get the dang triangle in his own mind, they could erase him, but the thing only wanted –

The answer hit Stan like a freight train. It was just too obvious.

Stan blinked for a moment before, wondering how he could have missed this before. _Quite frankly, I've pulled off way harder cons in the past_ , he thought with a sad smile growing on his face. _This will be easy._

 _After all, I've been doing this particular trick for most of my life._

And the cocky ones always lapped up lies the easiest.

"Ford," he called to his brother as he reached up to undo his string tie. They didn't have much time, so he immediately continued as soon as his brother looked at him. "I've got a plan. Strip." He kicked off his shoes.

"What?!" Ford yelped, his arms instantly coming up to shield himself. "Why?"

"Start taking off your clothes and I'll explain." Stan growled. As Ford still wasn't moving, he rolled his eyes. He stopped in the middle of taking off his pants. "Look, he wants that formula in your head, but the memory gun won't work on you."

At Ford's nod of confirmation, he continued, "But it will work on me." Ford gave a small, confused nod, but he still seemed to have trouble putting the puzzle pieces together. Stan sighed again. For being so smart, his brother could be incredibly slow at times. "So, it's simple," he said as he stepped out of his pants, "we switch places and you erase him from my mind."

Ford reeled back in shock, surprising Stan. "No!" He firmly said. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm currently standing in the floating pyramid of a psychotic triangle without my pants on." Stan drily replied, meeting his brother's eyes. "I'm very serious about this." He began to shrug off his jacket. "Now, c'mon, Poindexter, take off your clothes."

"You can't!" Ford practically shouted, and Stan wondered if he was imagining the way his voice quivered. "Do you even know what this will mean for you?"

"Bill's gone, the kids are safe, things go back to the normal levels of weirdness, the end." Stan started to unbutton his shirt. It was pretty obvious to him what to expect.

"I'll have to erase you." Ford's voice was so quiet, Stan almost missed it. But he didn't and he looked up into Ford's wide, frightened gaze. "The only way to get rid of Bill is to completely erase _you_. Your memories, your personality, all the things that make you you," he emphasized his words with a wave of his hand, "all gone."

Stan paused. Admittedly, he hadn't known it would be quite that extensive, but…

"And you were willing to use it on yourself?" Stan raised an eyebrow at him. His decision hadn't changed with this new information.

Ford's face flushed in indignation. "Yes, but that was different!"

"But nothing! It's exactly the same!" Stan argued before he huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, do you want to save the kids?"

"What? Of course I do, how could you – "

"Then we have to do this." Stan said with utmost seriousness. He walked over to Ford and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Look, just this once, can you trust me? Please."

He watched the emotions at war on his brother's face, but finally resignation filled it and Ford's shoulders slumped. "Fine." He shook off Stan's hands and then shrugged out of his trench coat, pulling out the memory gun and setting it to the side.

Stan nodded and gave Ford some space as he finished undressing himself. He knew that this was the best option. Like he said, his brain wasn't good for anything, and Ford had so much going for him that he deserved a chance to make his own way without Stan holding him back.

Heck, everyone would be better without him in the way, and he'd rather go out saving the kids than anything else. This was fine.

This was all his fault. He should be the one to pay the price.

Stan finished undressing and gathered up his clothes, ready to hand them over. As he turned, it was the first time he'd seen his brother without his sweater or coat since he'd got back. He was glad that though there were some scars, there were not as many as he'd feared for years. The tattoos were a surprise. They were bright and colorful in a way that Mabel would approve, but that one on his neck…

"Not. A. Word." Ford growled as he turned and glared at him at the snickers that escaped. He took off his glasses and put them on top of his stack of clothes.

"I didn't say anything." Stan said, removing his own glasses. "Luckily, I won't remember to tease you about it later." He tried to lighten the mood. He couldn't see for crap at the moment, but somehow, he could just feel that Ford's expression hadn't changed from somber resignation.

They quickly changed into the others' clothes. Stan stuffed the sixth fingers on Ford's gloves with some random Stan Bucks he'd found in his own pockets and slipped them on.

"How did you somehow end up with worse vision than me?" Ford griped as he squinted through Stan's lenses and attempted to tie the string around his neck in a bow. Stan didn't see how he was complaining as Ford's glasses only helped him a bit, but he just shrugged at that as it's not like it was any better than what he usually could see.

After watching Ford struggle for a few moments, Stan sighed and went over to him, quickly tying it. His brother watched him, opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Stan let him, but that's when it hit him.

"Just one more thing." Stan said, and he took of his fez, dropping it on Ford's head for him to adjust it as he needed to. He ran his hands through his own hair, trying to make it floof up like his brother's did. Then, he walked over to the bars of their cage, knowing it wouldn't be long now.

"Stanley." Ford came up beside him, fiddling with his fingers.

"Don't fiddle with 'em. You'll draw attention to them." Stan ordered. He knew his brother was self-conscious about them and he hated to take away his coping technique, but that would easily give them away.

Ford immediately dropped his hands, curling them around the bars. "Stanley, we can still – "

"No. We can't." Stan spared him a glance, before closing his eyes. "We have to do this. For the kids."

"For the kids." Ford weakly agreed, because if there was only one thing they agreed on, it was that those two kids that had brightened their life were to be protected.

With his eyes closed, Stan pictured his mind. This would be the final piece to the con. According to the kids, Bill had been in there before, and he'd spent plenty of time in Ford's head. He'd have to fool him to buy time to erase him.

He imagined a blank space with just a single door. Behind the door, he placed everything: his memories, feelings, all the good and bad in his life. He took a moment to appreciate each shard of memory that passed before his mind's eye. After all, he wouldn't have them for long. There'd be nothing for Bill to find until he opened that door, and by then, it'd be too late for the triangle.

The sound of booming footsteps and a triumphant cackle came from the hallway, and Stan opened his eyes.

"Stanley…" Ford still looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but it was too late.

Stan straightened and cleared his throat.

This was going to be his final con.

And by Moses, he was going to make it the best job he'd ever done.

* * *

 _AN: So I've wanted to write the missing scene of Stan and Ford switching clothes ever since the finale, so, yay, I've finally written it. However, this is going to be a series of one shots that all happen in the finale, because I had some other ideas/perspectives of things that I wanted to get in. I hope you enjoy it._

 _Hey, this is actually a good work for Stanuary too! You won't have to wait for the next one shot. Next time, let's see what was going through Ford's head as he set-up the memory gun._


	2. Chapter 2 - The Shot

The Shot

 _Whatever it takes_.

That had been Ford's motto for years.

 _Whatever it takes, no matter the sacrifices, I will take down Bill Cipher._

It had been the only constant in his life that he had clung to as he was lost in the multiverse. He had been sure that he would eventually come out on top, even if he had to give up everything. It would be worth it, just to bring down the one who had betrayed him.

It's just… he had always thought he would be the one making the sacrifice.

 _Jheselbraum's seven eyes stared deep into Ford's two. "You have the face of the man who is destined to destroy Bill," she finally said._

He had been so sure that he would be the hero to end Bill, but he had forgotten.

He had forgotten that there was another person with the same face.

The magical ropes that bound him disappeared the moment Bill dived into Stan's mind. Without a word, he gestured for the twins to get behind him. Dipper and Mabel quickly scrambled behind him.

"Grunkle Stan." Dipper hissed, fear in his eyes. "What are we going to do?" His worried gaze fell on Stanley, and Ford felt the regret within pulse again with a burning sensation.

As Mabel clutched at her brother's arm and also looked at Stan with an equal mix of fright and worry, he became aware of a bad taste in his mouth.

This was his fault. It shouldn't have come to this. If he hadn't let Bill into this dimension in the first place… If he hadn't written Stanley off and pushed him away… If he had just sucked it up and not commented on Stan's grammar…

Well, it was a bit too late for "What if's."

"It'll be fine, kids." He said, stepping forward. They startled and stared up at him, recognizing that his voice was not the one they were expecting.

"Grunkle Ford?" Mabel's voice was incredibly small, and her eyes darted between him and Stan.

Ford didn't answer her, instead removing the fez on his head and dropping it to the side. He noticed her picking it up as he pulled out the memory gun.

How could he have let it come to this?

Why was Stanley the one who had to pay for his mistakes?

He took a glance at his brother as he went to input his name in the gun. He looked so… vulnerable, kneeling there with his mouth agape. Ford knew they didn't have much time, who knew how long Stan could keep Bill at bay within his mind, but still he…

This wasn't fair.

 _"On one condition," Stan got up in his face, eyes blazing, "you stay away from the kids; I don't want them in danger. Cause as far as I'm concerned, they're the only family I have left!"_

 _And Ford could see the hurt there, trying to be covered by the anger, but he didn't care._

 _This was fine. Stanley had no right to take his life from him. He deserved this._

S-T-A-N-L-E-Y P-I-N-E-S. It took almost no time at all for the name to appear on the screen.

 _"Brother!" Stan's face was lit up in delight, a huge grin crossing it._

 _It just made Ford angrier though. Not only did Stan do something incredibly stupid by opening the portal, but did he have any clue as to what he had just interrupted? Ford had been so close to ending this all! How could he?_

 _Before he could even fully realize what he was doing, Ford was punching his brother in the face._

 _"Ow!" Stan's hand flew up to his cheek. "Ow!" His tone became more resentful and the happiness was instantly extinguished._

 _For the rest of the time before Weirdmaggedon, Ford would only glimpse that happiness when Stan interacted with the many children, from their twin niblings to Soos, that seemed to flock to the Mystery Shack._

He raised the gun and aimed it at Stan still kneeling on the floor. All that's left was for him to pull the trigger.

So why was he hesitating?

 _Stan screamed and Ford instantly pulled back his foot. Stan collapsed on the ground, clutching his shoulder in pain, and Ford could see the burn mark on it. Oh, god, he had branded his own brother. He hadn't meant to do that. He had just wanted to get him away from his journal. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you alr-"_

 _He really should have seen the punch coming._

His hand was shaking. Ford tried to settle it, but that just wasn't happening.

 _Stan was looking up at him with wide, frightened eyes, hand held up in the air as the other clutched at the already packed dufflebag._

 _Ford turned away, shutting the curtains._

He had to do this. Bill had to be defeated at all costs.

 _"This is awesome, Ford!" Stan gushed, popping another toffee peanut in his mouth._

 _"I don't know…" Ford wiped his brow as he made the final adjustments to his perpetual motion machine. "I heard that Dennis was making…"_

 _"Pft. As if anyone is smarter or nerdier than you, Sixer." Ford squeaked as Stan pulled him back away from his project to give him an affectionate noogie. "You've got this science fair in the bag, Ford!"_

 _Ford grinned up at his brother, glad that he at least had his back._

Ford couldn't watch. He closed his eyes and turned away.

 _"High six?" Stan grinned at him, hand outstretched._

 _Ford slowly returned the smile. "High six!" Their hands smacked together._

He finally pulled the trigger.

 _"Hey, don't worry, bro." Stanley entered the cave, a smile wide on his face._

It was done. The beam faded and Ford lowered the gun.

 _"Wherever we go, we go together."_

 _If only that had been the case,_ Ford thought as he stared at his brother's empty shell, the gun slipping through weak fingers to clatter on the floor.

Stanley was gone.

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 _AN: The title for this chapter came from me listening to the_ Hamilton _soundtrack. Just what I thought might be going through Ford's head as he lined up that final blow to defeat Bill. Thought it'd be ironic for him to be going through his memories with his brother right before Stan lost all of his. Still, kinda goes with the Stanuary theme this week of Memories._

 _Next time: Dipper knew what using the meant, but still, for a brief moment, he hoped differently._


	3. Chapter 3 - The Man in the Woods

The Man in the Woods

The moment Grunkle Ford revealed himself and pulled out the memory gun, Dipper realized their plan with a sickening clarity.

He also realized that this had to be Grunkle Stan's idea, because Ford was great and all, but Stan was eons better when it came to trickery.

Dipper just didn't know if Mabel knew what the plan was. He glanced at her and she was watching both of their grunkles with wide, worried eyes. Her hands clutched at Stan's fez as Ford readied the gun and then, with some slight hesitation, fired it at Stan.

Dipper's own heart clenched at the sight.

 _No, no, no._ He could hear the denial chiming through his thoughts, but he knew better. To try to still it, he drew closer to Mabel and grabbed her arm in comfort. Neither of them looked away from the sight before them.

When the blue light faded and the memory gun dropped to the ground, Dipper knew it was over. He also knew that Grunkle Stan was probably gone. However, he didn't really have time to think about that.

With a flash of light, the people who had been turned into banners were falling into a pile on the floor, back to normal. Then the pyramid gave a huge shudder, and looking up, Dipper could see it was collapsing from the top down, though it seemed like the debris was falling up toward the Rift, rather than down to the ground.

"Wah!" Mabel yelled as the floor fell apart under their feet, and Dipper held her more tightly.

As the weirdness was sucked up into the Rift, they all began to fall towards the ground. Both he and his sister screamed but before Dipper could fully register what was happening, Ford was grabbing both of them and curling around them. He caught a glimpse of the quickly approaching ground and he hadn't even realized that they were so far up. It was like falling from the Gideon-bot all over again.

However, they never hit the ground at a terminal velocity. There was another flash of light from the Rift and suddenly all three of them were sitting on the ground, Ford hovering protectively over them.

They blinked and looked around. Dipper was astonished, his mouth falling open a bit.

They were in the woods and it looked just like it always did. There were no signs of the destruction that had come in the wake of Weirdmaggedon and the sky peeking through the tops of the trees was a calm blue. It was also so quiet, with just the faint sounds of the birds and the wind whispering through the branches above. After the constant sound of screams, fire, and crashing that had become the norm in only a few days, it was too quiet.

"H-how?" Dipper asked, tentatively reaching out and touching a tree trunk. There weren't even any marks of the way the forest had been totaled.

"Full reversal." Ford said as he straightened, his eyes darting around and searching for something. "Not only did Bill's death end Weirdmaggedon, but the energy of the Rift reabsorbing all of the effects seems to have restored everything destroyed during Weirdmaggedon."

"Where's Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked, and as Dipper looked over at his twin, he realized who Ford was searching for.

"Mabel…" Dipper grimaced, because if she still didn't realize what had happened, they had to explain it before they found him. He reached out to her, because he knew this was going to hurt, heck it was hurting him just thinking about it, but her face lit up in delight as she caught sight of something through the trees.

"There!" She pointed at something and immediately took off, carrying the fez.

"Mabel, wait!" Ford tried to call her back, but she was a girl on a mission. Dipper knew that there would be no stopping her now.

He sighed and followed her. _This is not going to be pretty_ , he thought as Ford followed them both through the bushes.

They broke through the tree line into a small clearing. Stan was kneeling in the grass, eyes blinking open, and right away Dipper could see that something was off.

He had never seen Stan so relaxed.

"Oh my gosh! Grunkle Stan, you did it!" Mabel ran up to their grunkle, so happy, and she plopped the fez on his head.

For a moment, Dipper felt a spark of hope. Maybe it was fine. After all, it couldn't _all_ be gone, right? Besides, as much as Stan cared for them both, Mabel was definitely his favorite. If anyone could bring _something_ back, it would be –

"Oh, uh, hey there…kiddo." Stan said, an awkward smile on his face as he gently took Mabel's hands off his shoulders. Dipper's heart fell to the bottom of his shoes. "What's your name?"

 _He's gone._ Dipper thought, his chest beginning to tighten. _He's… he's really gone._

But Mabel hadn't quite gotten that yet. "Grunkle Stan?" He could tell that she knew there was something wrong, but she didn't want to believe it.

"Heh." Stan looked around in confusion, and there was something innocent about him that Dipper would've never associated with him. After all, Stanley Pines was an accomplished con man whose experience with the world had left him jaded. The person before them reminded Dipper more of Mabel when they were younger, the way she was curious about everything and proceeded to poke her nose into things that she really shouldn't. "Who you talkin' to?"

Mabel's eyes widened, tears beginning to fill them. "C-c'mon, it's me." She appealed to him, begging. "It's me, Grunkle Stan!" Dipper couldn't take it anymore, and apparently Ford felt the same, as they both reached out and began to pull Mabel away. "Stan, it's me!"

Ford placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic glance. "We had to erase his mind to defeat Bill. It's all gone. Stan has no idea, but he did it. He saved the world." Ford stepped up to Stan, and Stan, who had been looking off to the side, not even realizing they were talking about him like he was a little kid or something, turned and gazed up at Ford. "He saved me." Ford's voice wavered as he knelt before him. He threw his arms around Stan. "You're our hero, Stanley." As he buried his face in Stan's shoulder, Stan himself just blinking in sedate surprise, Dipper could hear the sounds of his sobs.

It was too much.

Mabel sunk to the ground, her own tears overwhelming her as she buried her head in her hands. Large sobs wracked her body and Dipper instantly put his hand on her shoulder in comfort. He felt the tears had been prickling his eyes also escape, and he pulled down the brim of his hat to hide them.

Mabel turned into him, and he hugged her tight. Their tears stained both of their shoulders.

 _What are we supposed to do now?_

* * *

 _AN: The scene that broke everyone's heart from Dipper's perspective. Enjoy._


	4. Chapter 4 - The Broken Family

The Broken Family

Soos wasn't quite sure what happened, but it looked like things had turned out okay. Things had gotten weird, with one minute he was standing in the circle, then he was trapped in this weird space, and the next he was falling down to the floor, but as he glanced around it seemed like the town was completely normal.

The wasteland was gone and the buildings had returned to their normal state. The only sign that something had gone down is that everyone looked just a bit rough from having to deal with Weirdmaggedon. In fact…

"Abuelita!" Soos grinned at the sight of his grandmother and he quickly went over to give her a hug. He had noticed that somehow she'd gone from being a chair to being part of Bill's throne, but it was still reassuring to have her actually be there in his arms.

"Ah, mi niño." She gladly returned his embrace. Soos sighed as this was truly a sign that this was all over.

Somehow, they had won.

As he pulled back, he noticed Wendy reuniting with her own family and he smiled. The other townspeople were also realizing that things were back to normal and cheers and other sounds of celebration filled the air. Soos watched as other people hugged their loved ones, glad to be back. His eyes continued to wander, but there was no sight of…

"You can go, Soos." Abuelita said, and he turned to her with a quizzical expression. "You go find Mr. Pines, I go vacuum the house."

Soos grimaced a bit, he hadn't thought that he was that obvious, but then he gave his grandma one last hug before heading into the woods. After all, if those four weren't anywhere in town, then it made more sense for them to be at the Shack.

As he cut through familiar shortcuts, he stopped at the sounds of someone, actually it might be more than one someone, crying. Figuring that finding the Pines could wait a bit, he changed his course, because he couldn't just let someone be sad when they had finally won. It was a time to celebrate.

Soos was surprised, however, when he emerged from the bushes and found exactly who he'd been looking for. "Hey, dudes!" He cheerfully called out to them and three of the four people in the glen started at his words.

His smile faded a bit as he got a good look at the scene. Dipper and Mabel had some stray tears still falling down their cheeks, and they were, altogether, clearly upset. Mr. Pines was holding Dr. Pines close and looked like he'd been crying, too, though for some strange reason Dr. Pines was wearing Mr. Pines's fez atop his head.

Upon seeing Soos, Dipper and Mabel's eyes widened and they shared a horrified look. Mr. Pines also looked a bit unnerved, glancing between Soos and Dr. Pines.

Now that Soos thought about it, something seemed off about both Mr. Pines and Dr. Pines.

"So, I've been looking for you guys everywhere." Soos continued, trying to stay upbeat. "Y'know everything in town's been restored. Looks like y'guys somehow did it."

Mabel's lips trembled, and she turned away. Dipper seemed to brace himself and took a deep breath. "Soos…" He didn't say anything else though, and things were quickly getting awkward.

"Uh," Soos looked them all over. He couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. He looked back over to Dr. Pines, who was the only one who hadn't reacted to him yet. "Is something wrong with Dr. Pines?"

"It's not…" Soos started a bit as Mr. Pines spoke. His eyes darted over to him, because that wasn't his voice. "This isn't me, Soos. It's Stanley."

Soos blinked. "What?" He came closer, and now that he really looked, he could see the differences between them. That was Dr. Pines wearing Mr. Pines's clothes and vice versa. "What's wrong?" He tried to calm his quickening heart, but it wasn't working.

"He doesn't… He can't remember anything." Dr. Pines choked out, but Soos barely heard him as he came in front of his boss.

At the movement, Mr. Pines looked up at him with a childlike curiosity, but that was it. No comments about how they were all being wishy-washy and should get back to work. No mention that Soos was late and they needed to check that the Shack wasn't damaged. Nothing.

"We… we can fix this, right?" Soos asked, glancing at Dr. Pines and noting the pained expression on his face. "I mean, everything else went back to normal…"

"He erased his mind to save us…" Mabel's watery voice floated over to him, and he turned to see Dipper bending down to hug her closer.

"But…" Soos struggled for a moment, trying to find a way to fix this. After all, he was the handyman here. "Ah, what if he changed back into his clothes?" He offered. If he looked like himself, he'd probably feel more like himself.

"I," Dr. Pines seemed to be fighting something he wanted to say, emotions warring on his face, but then he nodded, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try."

He bent down and took Mr. Pines's arm. "Come along." With some effort, Mr. Pines stood and though he wobbled for a second, which made Soos reach out in preparation to grab him if needed, he easily followed his lead.

"Why?" Mr. Pines asked as Dr. Pines lead him away, and Soos nearly flinched at the completely innocent tone.

Mr. Pines normally would've thrown off Dr. Pines's helping hand, insisting he could do it himself until he was flat on the ground. Mr. Pines would've been the one to insist on switching back because he wouldn't want to be caught wearing his brother's clothes.

But this wasn't the normal Mr. Pines.

"Because… I say so." Soos heard Dr. Pines reply, and his heart clenched because Mr. Pines would normally never accept that as an answer. He would probably take them as fighting words and do the exact opposite of what was asked of him.

Soos's heart clenched in panic, but he tried to calm it. Things would turn out okay. They always did.

He looked over at Dipper and Mabel. They too were watching where their grunkles had disappeared. They appeared as lost as Soos felt, so he swallowed what he felt down and gave them a smile. "Hey, little dudes. It'll be okay."

They glanced up at him simultaneously, and while Mabel nodded her agreement, Dipper just stared at him. Soos found himself being the first to turn away.

In what felt like no time at all, the elder Pines twins emerged from the bushes. Soos's heart lifted a bit, because even though the fez was still crooked atop his head, his tie was lying limply around his collar, and Dr. Pines was holding the jacket tightly in his hands, Mr. Pines looked more like himself.

Both he and the twins hopefully gazed at him, but there was still no spark of recognition.

Soos decided not to be too discouraged. "We're not far from the Shack," he said, looking around. "Maybe that'll jog something?" He put a smile on his face, trying to lighten the mood.

The somber looks didn't disappear, but Dr. Pines absently nodded. It's not like they had much else to do anyway.

As Mabel took Mr. Pines's hand, Dr. Pines slipped the jacket on Stan. Dipper lead the way, as he had also learned these paths during the summer, and Soos decided to bring up the rear. After all, if Mr. Pines needed some help, he would be right there to support him.

Soos knew that if they got to the Shack, things would be alright. The Shack had been Mr. Pines's home for 30 years! Of course, he'd have to remember it! It was one of Soos's favorite places and it was always there. No matter the damage the Shack would surely be fine and things would be fine and –

Up ahead, Dipper stopped, causing those who followed him to stop as well. Together, the five of them took in the sight before them, and Soos's heart sunk low.

The Mystery Shack was broken. Walls sagged, holes were poked in the sides and roof, plants grew in and around it; the whole place looked like no one had lived there for years. Robot parts and merchandise were scatter all over the yard.

The Shack was as broken as (his dad's) Mr. Pines's mind.

And as they walked up the steps towards the door, Soos's heart sunk because this was one thing that he didn't know how to fix.

* * *

 _AN: Anyone else ever thought about what it was like when Soos found them in the woods? Because it clearly happened before they made their way to the Shack. Have a bowl of heartbroken Soos._

 _Next time, the last time: Mabel never gave up hope._


	5. Chapter 5 - The Scrapbook

The Scrapbook

Mabel was the first one to wake up, not even having realized that she had fallen asleep. For a moment, she wondered if everything, Weirdmaggedon, her bubble, Bill Cipher's reign, Stan losing his memory, had been a dream.

The sounds of snores from around her as she realized that she was curled up on Stan's lap and clutching her scrapbook told her that it had all been true.

She yawned and stretched a bit, before nuzzling into the warmth of her grunkle.

She could stand to grab a few more minutes of sleep. Yesterday had been a big day after all.

Mabel frowned a bit as she remembered the day before. Hectic couldn't even begin to describe it. The day had started out as Weirdmaggedon and they'd tried to rescue Ford. Then before they knew it, everything was over and Grunkle Stan's memory was lost.

But she hadn't given up. There was no way that her Grunkle Stan would be lost so easily, even though everyone else had begun to lose hope.

Mabel held her scrapbook closer at the thought. It was all thanks to this small book, that she had worked so hard over and put so much into all summer, that her grunkle had come back. Waddles played a part too.

After they had begun to delve into the scrapbook, Grunkle Stan remembering more each moment, other people had begun to show up.

Wendy had been the first to show up, of course. Upon hearing what happened, she had thrown herself into helping Stan remember as well. McGucket, Pacifica, and, surprisingly, Gideon had been next, swiftly followed by Grenda, Candy and several other townspeople. It was McGucket who had reassured them all, explaining why Stan could remember and soothing Ford's worries over the situation.

It was also him who pointed out that the Shack wasn't exactly livable at the moment.

At his words, Stan had stood up, waving away the rest of the family's concerned, and he sounded just like his usual self as he told them all to stop lollygagging and get to work. He could remember more later.

They had gladly heeded his words.

It had taken a combined effort, with Manly Dan being a considerable help in that regard, but for now at least, the Shack had been deemed okay enough to spend the night. Everyone would be that day to continue repairs.

 _It's a good thing_ , Mabel thought as she reopened her eyes, _that the town at least was restored_.

After everyone had left, even Soos leaving with his grandmother, they had all gathered around the armchair once more and Mabel had gone over more of the scrapbook, Dipper chiming in now and then. It'd been even better when Stan had occasionally filled in some of the blanks.

Mabel wasn't sure when they had fallen asleep, but as she looked around, she could see that everyone was where they'd been the night before. Stan, of course, was sitting in the chair and Mabel had taken the spot on his lap. Dipper had parked himself on top of the skull so he could easily lean over to see the scrapbook and he leaned against the arm of the chair, Stan's arm that wasn't around Mabel around him. Ford had ended up on the floor next to them, though he had started out just over Stan's shoulder leaning against the back.

Mabel sighed. Despite the sleep, she still felt exhausted, but she knew she wouldn't get any more sleep for now.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed there, but before long, she felt Stan stir. She looked up at him as he subconsciously stretched like a cat, bones creaking, before he blinked his eyes open.

For a moment, as the fuzziness of sleep still clouded his eyes, Mabel was back in that clearing, her Grunkle Stan staring at her with wide, unrecognizing eyes. Despite everything she had experienced, that had been one of the most frightening moments of her life.

However, as he opened his eyes now, it was clear that he did recognize her. He wasn't all there, not quite yet, but she smiled.

There was plenty of time to fix that, they would get him totally back.

After all, as they had happily discovered yesterday, they still had seven days left of summer.

Stan looked at her, a slight, nervous smile on his face. "Hey," he said, "sleep well?"

Her smile widened in return. "Yep." She set the scrapbook down to lean against the chair and wrapped her arms around Stan's middle to give him a proper hug.

Stan hummed in agreement, and squeezed her in return. A grumbling sound met both their ears and they both looked at Mabel's offending stomach. Stan chuckled and he disentangled himself from Mabel and the chair to head for the kitchen. "C'mon, sweetie, let's see if there's anything edible in this house." The night before Lazy Susan had provided dinner to all the people working at the Shack so it was a valid question.

Mabel wasn't thinking about that though. Instead, she gazed up at Stan with wide eyes. As he walked further away, Stan realized she wasn't following him and turned around to look at her quizzically. The silence seemed to make him nervous the more it continued, until he finally asked, "Did – did I say something wrong?"

The brightest grin she had ever had spread across Mabel's face. _I haven't told him about his nicknames for me_. "It's fine!" she said aloud, taking his hand and tugging him in the kitchen. "Just great!"

"If you say so," Stan said, letting her lead him, but it was entirely different from when she had first brought him into the Shack. "Anything in particular you want to eat?"

"Pancakes." Mabel said immediately as it was simple enough to make and it was what they usually part of what they ate when he actually cooked breakfast.

"Heh, with me making them, they'd be more like Stancakes, wouldn't they?" Stan joked as he started searching through the cupboards for ingredients.

As she searched too, Mabel chanced a glance at her Grunkle Stan. She hadn't mentioned Stancakes either.

Yeah, things were going to be all right.

* * *

 _AN: So this is the end of this series. Thanks for reading. I told you it'd get better by the end._


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